Jason Saab was just three years old when Pierre came into his life but the Manly Sea Eagles winger has never known another father figure.
Preparing to represent Lebanon on the international stage this weekend, Saab has opened up on the profound influence his father has had on his life and connection to his Lebanese heritage.
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Although he was too young to remember their first meeting, Saab has grown up understanding the significance of Pierre’s decision to raise a child who was not biologically his own.
A sacrifice that has helped shape the person he is today.
“It takes a real strong man to be able to raise a child that’s not his,” Saab told foxsports.com.au.
“I respect it heavily. When I think about could I do that? I don’t know. You know it’s a tough thing to do and it’s paid off really well for all of us.
“It’s worked out and I owe a lot of that to my old man.”
His gratitude extends well beyond the role Pierre played in raising him, with the winger revealing how he has influence the person he has become.
“My dad Pierre is basically where I’ve got it. Me as a person or my morals and values and everything I stand for as a person have been passed down from his side of the family and from him,” Saab added.
“Sometimes I will ask myself, ‘Would I be in this positions if it wasn’t for Pierre?’ and that Lebanese culture that has moulded me into the person I am today.
“I don’t think that would be the case. I can’t repay him enough.”
As he grew older, Saab’s mother asked whether he wanted to find out more about his birth-father but he had little interest in pursuing it.
“Growing up when I was a bit young my mum asked me is that something you want to try and do and I said nah I’m fine,” he added.
“I couldn’t care less. Pierre’s my dad.
“That’s the only father figure I’ve known, so I never really had the urge to want to figure out or find out who. I’m glad I didn’t either.”
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It is that bond and Lebanese heritage Pierre passed down to him, that makes Saab’s long-awaited international debut all that more significant.
Originally lodging an application to represent Lebanon in 2022, the winger was meant to represent the nation in the previous World Cup before being deemed unavailable to be selected after picking up an injury.
The matter was then revisited towards the back end of this season when he provided the International Rugby League (IRL) with the requested documentation and answered a series of questions before his application was approved.
“I’m super grateful that they were able to allow me to play. It means a lot to me and my family and the Lebanese community as a whole,” Saab added.
“I guess it was something back in 2022 that I knew was going to happen, but obviously didn’t come to fruition.
“This time around, knowing that if I get through injury-free and get my application processed, I’d be playing.
“I kind of always knew that it would be there. It’s something that, as we got a bit closer to camp and the games, starts to really provoke a lot of emotion, and it’s just really special.”
An Australian Schoolboy, Saab was always destined to play at the top level and eventually made his debut in Round 19 of the 2019 season after progressing through the ranks at the St George Illawarra Dragons.
Less than 12 months later, he requested a release to depart the club, although it would take until 2021 for the move to be finalised.
The travelling distance between Wollongong and his home in Western Sydney is understood to have been a key factor in his desire to leave.
Before a meeting with then-Manly coach Des Hasler also paved the way for a fresh start in the Northern Beaches.
“I was at St George as a younger kid at 18-19. Then going onto 20, I moved to Manly,” he explained.
“I requested a release from St George which they granted eventually and then I had a meeting with Des Hasler and basically signed there and that’s been it ever since.”
Since arriving at the Sea Eagles, Saab has been able to establish himself as one of the club’s key attacking weapons but his journey to the top has been marked by significant challenges away from the field as well.
An ACL rupture in 2022 – which ruled him out of the previous World Cup – presented one of the toughest tests of his playing career.
“My ACL was one of them (toughest moments of his career),” he recounted.
“That’s a big moment. Anyone that’s done one knows it’s a tough, tough comeback.”
Meanwhile, the death of his best mate Keith Titmuss at the age of 20 and the passing of his grandmother a year later brought devastating personal loss.
“There’s been a few even my best mate passing away at 20 and my grandmother passing away a year later who I didn’t get to see because of COVID and we were in the bubble,” he said.
“There’s been a few adversities and that but again we all go through our own personal stuff.
“I’m a pretty driven person. I feel like when I get those things thrown at me I’ve been pretty good at getting through adversity.
“Through my upbringing I’ve had challenges so that’s kind of helped me as an adult to get through those things.”
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